Clarke Appointed Dean of Virginia-Maryland RCVM

Cyril R. Clarke, BVSc, MS, PhD. Dipl. ACVCP, of Corvallis, Ore., has been named dean of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (RCVM) at Virginia Tech, effective Oct. 1.

Clarke currently serves as professor and dean of Oregon State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. He will succeed Gerhardt G. Schurig, who announced his plans to return to the faculty after 10 years as both interim dean and dean of the veterinary college. Virginia Tech's senior vice president and provost, Mark McNamee, announced Clarke's appointment July 18.

“Cyril Clarke is a highly respected leader in veterinary medicine and education, bringing with him dean level experience and an impressive record of leadership and scholarly results. He brings perspective and experience that will serve the college, Virginia Tech, and the University of Maryland,” said McNamee. “He emerged as the leading candidate among an exceptional pool of veterinary college and school leaders, and is joining a passionate and accomplished team of administrators, faculty, staff, and students. I look forward to working with him to further enhance the strategic goals of the college.”

Clarke, a native of Johannesburg, South Africa, will serve as the fourth dean of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. He said of his new position, "The college has established a distinguished record of accomplishment in veterinary education, delivery of clinical and diagnostic services across a wide range of clinical specialties, and biomedical research in comparative health sciences. It is particularly well positioned to advance translational medicine and the concept of One Health, which recognizes the close linkage between animal and public health. The partnership involving two land-grant universities provides an excellent opportunity for further development of innovative and collaborative programs that meet the veterinary educational and animal health needs of Virginia and Maryland. I am excited to be given the opportunity to lead the college in its next phase of development."

A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology, Clarke was a faculty member at Oklahoma State University from 1987 to 2007, where he also served as a department head and associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Veterinary Medicine. In 2007, he assumed the position of Lois Bates Acheson Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State University. He also serves as a professor of pharmacology in the college's Department of Biomedical Sciences.

Clarke holds leadership positions in several professional organizations. He currently serves as a member of the board of directors for the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, serves on the AAVMC Strategic Planning Committee, and chairs its Data Committee. He is a member of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board and a past president of the American College of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

Clarke has been honored with the Pfizer Award for Research Excellence and the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association's President's Award, in addition to having been recognized with a Certificate of Excellence in Teaching.

He has been awarded over 40 research grants and contracts, including serving as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more than $2.2 million in awards. He has directed six graduate theses and served on an additional 26 master's and PhD advisory committees. He has over 68 refereed publications and has given numerous presentations at national and international meetings.

Clarke continues to teach clinical pharmacology to veterinary students and has a professional interest in instructional methodology. His research has focused on interactions between bacteria, antibacterial agents, and host defenses; drug disposition and pharmacokinetics; and biosensor technology development.

He received a bachelor of veterinary sciences degree from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, in 1981 and a PhD in veterinary medical sciences from Louisiana State University in 1987. He obtained a master's degree in higher education from Oklahoma State University in 2000.

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